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It's the (achoo!) cold, flu season By Alex Breitler Cruddy weather and cruddy colds usually go hand in hand, and this year is no exception. The Rogue Valley is smack dab in the middle of cold and flu season. Central Point schools were bombed with illness last week -- about 360 students missed school on a single day. But local physicians say the hacking and coughing -- and worse -- is no more prevalent now than in any other winter. Not everyone is suffering from the same sickness. Some are out for just one or two days, while others are homebound for at least a week, said Connie Marvin, Central Point School District attendance counselor. Flu bugs and harsh colds seem to be heavy this year, although no strains or viruses are more prominent than others, doctors said. "We are just seeing an explosion of all different viruses," said Barbara Sibley, a doctor with Southern Oregon Pediatrics in Medford. Also, the stomach flu is rearing its ugly head, Sibley said. Her clinic has fielded 30 to 40 patients per day -- with double that number calling in -- suffering from various flu season bugs. Len Bauling, a family nurse practitioner with the Medford Clinic, said folks should wash their hands "five zillion times a day" to help avoid the nagging colds and flus. "There's a lot of bugs going around right now," Bauling said. "But this volume is what we normally expect this time of year." While Ashland schools haven't seen a jump in student absences, Medford schools have. "But I don't believe we're at the same proportion as Central Point schools have been," said Barbara Barnhill, a Medford school nurse. Barnhill said two kinds of illnesses are affecting Medford students. One involves nausea and vomiting and the other a respiratory infection with coughing and fever. Adults aren't immune, either; several employees have called in sick recently at the Talent Wal-Mart. Most cases seen at the Medford Clinic have involved respiratory sickness, with some stomach flu, strep throat and bronchitis as well. Some bacterial strains of pneumonia also are present. Kathy Finley, a family nurse practitioner, said that while she's seen a strain of influenza not covered by the flu shot, there's nothing unusual about the amount of sickness in the valley. "I think it's a fairly mild winter," she said. Bauling at the Medford Clinic said he thinks it's just a typical cold and flu season. Common sense can help prevent unwanted illness, he added: Avoid sharing glasses or utensils with anyone who's sick. Sibley said it's also important to drink lots of water. Though she's seen many flu and cold cases, Sibley isn't sure if this year is any worse than past winters. "But we're in the thick of it," she added. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA